Engine-starting system



, w. A. CHRYST. ENGINE STARTING SYS TEM.

A -AP-PLICAUON FILED sEPT.19,.19|7 1,427,067', v Patented Aug. 22, 1922.,

sl SHEETS-SHEET 1.'

of y

W. A. CHRYST.

Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. AMCHRYST. ENGINE STARTINGSYSTEM.

LED SEPT. 19

' 9H' Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

3 SH EEEEEEEEEE 3- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, l'

WILLIAM A. CHR'YS'I,v OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 THE DAYTON ENGINEERING LABORATORIES COMPANY, A'CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ENGINE-STARTING srs'rrusx;v

v Specification of'Letter's Patent. Patented Aug, 22, 1922.

Appncatign med september 19, 1917. serial No. 192,202. v

To all @cham 'it may concer/n:

Be it known that I, VVILLTAM A. (lHRYsT, a citizen of the United State'sof America, residing at Dayton, county of Montgomery,

' and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and -useful Improvements in Engine- Starting Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

. This invention relates' to an improvement in electric starting devices for internal-'combustion engines, and more particularly to that type of starting devices, wherein a dyv in size, compact and simple in construction,

namo-electric-inachine is operable as a motor for 'startingpurposes and-as a generator for charging and other purposes.

One ot the objects ot the present invention is to provide a simplified starting system, wherein the operator is required to eifect only a' single operation, the remaining 'sequence of operations being leffected automatically.l p

lAnother object of the present invention is to provide a starting system which is small and sure and veflicient in operation;

Further objects and advantages of the present inventionnwill be apparent from the accompanying drawings, wherein onepreferred form `of the present invention is clearly illustrated.

In the drawings:

' =1 Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a'portion of an automobile chassis and engine, showing the several units of the present system mounted thereon and their relative positions thereto.-

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the connecting o1' reduction gearing enibadied in the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, illustrating the eccentric or Hunting-tooth-gear embodied in the reduction gearing. i

Fig. 4: is a view, taken on the line 4-4 of .,Fig. 2, of an over-running clutch embodied in the reduction gearing.

Fig. 5 is a front-end view of the dynamoelectric-machine, a portion of the front-end trical devices, circuits and connections embodied in one form of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view, taken 0n the line 7-7 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a view, partly in elevation and vpartly in section, taken on the line 8 8 of4 type, but for the purposes of illustration an casing being broken away to show the com-f mutator brush controlling solenoid and the controlling element of'thebrake ring em-` bodied'in the reduction gearing.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view ofthe e160.-

engine of the 4-c linder, LL-cycle type has been illustrated. f his engine has the usual crank shaft 21, one end of which is connected to the flywheel and clutch mechanism,

designated by the numeral 21" (see Fig. 1),

while the opposite or front end of said crank shafty has a belt or chain connection '24 with the electric machine 23.

The dynamo-electricfmachine, as will ap pear hereinafter, is operable as a motor for starting purposes and as a generator for charging and other purpcyges.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 6, the electrical circuits and connections embodied in the dynamoelectric-machine, and `the other parts of the system, are clearly shown. This dynamo-electric-machine comprises the side frames25 withinwhich -an armature 26 is adapted to operate; these side frames 25 support the series-fieldl winding 27 and the shunt-field winding 28.

The storage battery 29 forms a source of current which is adapted to supply current to the electric machine for operation as a motor for starting purposes and is adapted to receive current t'rom the elect-ric machine when the same is being driven by the engine as a generator.

The circuit connections and arrangements between the electric machine and the storage battery, and the controlling devices forming a part of said connections, will now be described: Suppose that the engine 21 is at restand `that it is desired to bring the same into operation. The operator will exert pressure on the controlling element 30,which will tend to close the contacts 31 and 32 of the controlling switch, thereby causing ai fiow of current to pass through the followconductor 33, conductor 3e, through the con'kl ing circuit: From the. battery 29, through tactv plates 3l and 32, conductor 35, to the solenoid 36. y y By referring to Fig. 6, it yvill'be apparent that initially the flow of `current through the series-field -Winding' 27 ivill'be prevented,

`for the reason that the series-field circuit is normally broken, due to the raised 'position of the motor commutatoibiush 37.

' As `the current passes throughr the solenoidV 36, it will return to the negative side of the battery, through the conductor 38, ground connections 39 and '40, and conductor 4l. .This flow of current, which of course Amay be: regulated to give *any4 desired strength of flow, Will immediatelyenergize the solenoid 36, and this in turn Will attract the lever ft2, which is pivoted as at 4a3, and tend to' Inovesaid lever in the direction of 4the arrow A (see Fig. 6). This-.lever 4-2 normally engages at one end with the brush holder of the motor brush-37, and, under theinluence of the 'spring 4e, tends to maintain said brush in raised position, rela-4 tive to the motor 4commutator 45, of the armature26, overcoming. the tension of the spring 47. I As soon as` thelever'armature 42 is attracted by the solenoid 36, the spring 47 will tendV tov force theV brush 37 i-nto'contact with its comrnntator 45,- thusclosing 'the motor circuit through the following eir- Cuit connections: from the conductor 35, through the series-field Winding 27, to the brush 37 ,via the conductor 48, thence across the armature windings, to the opposite -motor commu'tator brush-49, back to the negative side ofthe battery, via. the 4,ground connections 50 and 40, and conductor 4l.

Asfhas been explained above, the ener- -gization of the soleno-id36 results in the shifting ofthecommutator brush into circuit closing position, and this saine solenoid, byjits attraction'of'the lever-'armature 42,

" tends to bring into effect a reduction' gear connection .between the armature of the electric machine and the fron-t end 'of the crank shaft 21a. i The mannerin which this reduction gear connection :is effected, will be described hereinafter in connection with the description of themechanical members of the4 present invention.

As soon as the electric machine, operating as a motor, cranks the engine through thev .reduction gearing sufficiently to bring the 'be changed within certa ifrance? machine as a motor, it will ope' .relatively high speed compa speed of 'theengine, While, when becomes self-actuating, it `will ten(4 the electric machine-through certain pz..ts o this reduction, or connecting, gearing at sub stantially the same speedl as the speed off the engine; of course this speed ratio can in limits tov meet required conditions. i l

lWhen the engine 'drives the electric inachine as a generator, current will. initially flow from the positive generator brush 51,

through the' conductor 52, across the Contact plates 53 and 5ft of the controller switch, through thev conductor to the point 56.

' Here the vcurrent Will divide and a comparatively small portion Will pass from the conductor 57, Shuntlield Winding 23, conductor 58, to the ground 39, thence `tp the opposite commutator brush 59, ground connection 50. The remaining part of the. cur-i rent Will flow beyond the point 56, through the. Conductor 60, to the point 61,'and initially through the fine .Wire Winding,T 62.0f the circuit interrupter 63, thence to the ground. connection 64, back to the opposite side of 'the generator, via the ground con nection 50- andcommutator brush 59.

Assoon as the potential of the current passing through the line Winding 62, energizes the circuit interrupter 63 sufficiently' to attract the armature 65, the contactsv .66 and 674Will 4be closed, thus permitting the current to flow from the point 61, through vthe heavy series-Winding 68, across' the con'- tacts 66 and 67, thence through conductor 69, to the opposite side of the battery 29, across said battery and back to the opposite side of the generator via the conductor 4:1, grounds 40 and 50, and the negative coin-l mutator brush 59.

This generator circuit ivillbemaintained as long as the voltage across the,v generator brushes exceeds the voltage across the battery terminals. rPhe function of the circuit interrupter 63 is Well understood, and further detailed description of the same is deemed unnecessary in the present application.` 'l

From thefabove description vit will be,

`apparent that the operator is required to make but a single operation, that is to press the button or controlling element 30 during the starting operation, so as to close the contacts 3l and 32.V All of the other succeeding operations are effected automatically, and, as will appear hereinafter, theimotor and generator gear connections are selected and brought into operation automatically, without any further requirement on the part of the operator.

As has been described heretofore, the electric machine, when operating as a motor, tends to operate at a high Speed. and t0 iid crank the engine at a comparatively' low speed. This reduction in speed ratio is se'- cured in the present instance by` means of a connecting, or reduction. gearingfwhichv is mounted in the front-end casing (see Fig. l) of the dynamo-electric-machine 23.

This reduction gearing is of course 'connected to. the shaft'71 of the armature 2 6-, in the manner described hereinafter. The armature Shaft 71 extends beyond theend Wall 72 ofthe dynamo-electric-machine, and

thefreduced end portion of said shaft is adapted to t within the stub-shaft 73, which may be termed---for the sake of con-l venience-the clutch shaft. One end of thisclutch shaft. 73 rotates in the ball. bearing 74. While the opposite end .thereof issupporte'd by the bearing 75, carried by the front-end housing' 70. The armature shaft 71 is pinned to the clutch shaft 73 by means of a spline or key 76.`

' The end Wall 72 ofthe electric machine is anged at 77 to form a support for internal .clutch member 82 which is secured to saidv vmember 82 is located `Within an external clutch member or cup83, loosely journalled`vv upon the shaft 73. By moving disc 78, rollers may be shiftedtherewith to lock the cup 83 Ywith internal clutch member 82, which 4is stationary, and thus hold the cup 83 vin xed position.

The cup 83 is provided with a series'of openings 85 into which project rollers 84a mounted upon studs 84 which are carried by an internal-hunting tooth gear 86. The

base of the cupservesas a retaining plate for the gear 86 in a manner to be described later. This gear 86, which may be termed an eccentric gear element, or wobble gear is mounted upon a series otroller bearings 88`r which are mounted between the gear element 86.and an eccentric portion 89l of the clutch shaft 73;

The gear eletneut 86 is also provided with teeth 90. which. as will be described hereinafter, are adapted to mesh. with the teeth 91, formed on the internal. face of the driven gear element 92. This gear element 92 includes a casing. and, on the interior of said casing, a cylindrical face is provided asat 93, which forms the outer wall of a fric' tional clutch between said casing and the clutch shaft 73.

A series of fric-tional` rollers, designated v by the numeral 95, are positioned in tapered grooves 95, formed in the enlarged-portion'i96 of the 'clutch shaft 73. (Forl desee F ig.. 4.) y n .The driven gear element 92 terminates -in a cylindrical portion 97, Which surrounds tailed lconstruction of this frictional clutch,

the one end portion. of thefclutch shaft 73. 1

This cylindrical portion :97 is 4adapted to receive a'pulley Wheel o r sprocket 98, over whichthe beltl or chain' 24fjruns to-connect the electric -machine with the front end of the crank shaft of the engine.

As a means for securely maintaining the front-end reduction, or connecting, gear, in

its proper position relative to the armature of the electric machine 'and lthe end- Wall thereof, a bolt 99, threaded at one end, passes through the outer end of the clutch shaft A73, and is secured home in a threaded apery' ture, formed in the end of the armature shaft 71. T hen the opening, formed at the end of the cylindrical portion 97 of the gear ,92, is threaded' to receivethe nut 100.

The operation ofthe above described gearing .will be as follows: When .the operator n liassdepressed the controlling button 30, to cause current to flow from the storage battery 29, through the solenoid 36, the solenoid. wilLattract the lever armature 42, which Will l tend to permit the main motor circuitto be' .-1

closed by the depression of the normally lifted commutator brush37. f

The-movement of the armature lever 4t2,`

also tends to shift a lever 7 9, Which is c'onnectedwiththe disc 78, and the shifting of this disc vwill tend to also shift the frictional rollers 80, which are mounted upon the disc, into locking engagement between the clutch element 82 and i the retaining plate, l

or cup,- 83., In reality this means that the cup 83 -is locked to the-end Wall 72 of the electric machine, 'inasmuch as the clutch element 8 2 is secured thereto, as has been explained heretofore.

Now, as "soon as the current passing 'l through the motor windings of the electric machine tend to rotate the armature 26 of the electric machine, the armature shaft 71, and consequently theclutch shaft 73, Will likewise be rotated.

The eccentricportion of the clutch shaft! 7 3, operating against -the roller bearings 88,-

which are positioned between the eccentric or wobble gear element 86 and the eccentric .portion of said shaft, will rotate this eccentric gear in an orbital path about the axis of gear 92, but the gear Will be held against axial 'rotation by the action of the rollers '84, which are carried lby the gear, coming in contact Withithe walls of the openings 85 in cup 83. The openings 85 are of greater diameter than that of the rollers 84, as is clearly shown in Fig. 8, and this permits an oscillatory movement of the eccentric gear element 86, so that thls gearing is oscillated in such a manner that a portion ofthe teeth 90 thereof will mesh with a corresponding portion of the teeth 9lof the gear element 92. Gear element 92 will be rotated 'at a reduced speed relatively tothe shaft 7l.

This reduced speed of rotation of the gear element 92 will be transmitted to the pulley or sprocket clement, and consequently to the engine crank shaft, through the belt or chain connection 24. The frictional clutch construction shown in Fig. 4, and which has been specifically described heretofore, of course permits the relative rotation of the gear 'element 92 and the clutch shaft 73, during this starting operation.

IVhen the engine becomes self-actuating,

` and the speed thereof becomes greater than the speed of the clutch shaft 78, which is of course reduced to practically nothing as soon as the engine becomes self-actuating, due to the breaking of the main motor circuit by the operator releasing .the button 30, the. frictional clutch. shown in Fig. a

` will become effective to lock the casing 92,

and therefore the driven pulley or sprocket 98,'to the clutch shaft 73, and this driving effect will, of course, be transmitted dil rectly to the armature shaft 71.

During the operation of the electric machine as a generator, thev gear element 92 will of course engage with the eccentric gear 86, and will tend to rotate not only the gear 86 but also the retaining plate, or cup, 83. ThisA rotation of the retaining plate, or cup, 83 is made possible by the return movement of the disc or ring T8 to normal position', under the influence of the spring a4 (see Fig. 6). This releasing of the retaining plate, or cup, 83 from locked position, occurs immediately the operator releases the button 30 from its motor circuit closing "position, therefore the eccentric gear 86 and the retaining plate, or cup, 88 will simply rotate idlyduring this generator operation.

If lthe starting button 30 is not released as soon as the engine becomes self-operative, the retaining plate or cup 83 will unlock itself automatically from the stationary clutch member 82 since the cup 83 will the-n 'be rotated by engine power and in a direction such as to unlock members 83 and 82. In this manner thereduction gearing will become inoperati-ve the instant the engine 'begins to drive the armature shaft 91 directly through' elements 92 and 96. In other words, the means which connects the dynamo-electric-machine with the engine .is constructed so as to be responsive tothe assumption by the engine of the work of driving the dynamo and in such agm-anner that the reduction gearing provisions ineluded in said means become inoperative the instant the engine drives the dynamo through other connecting provisions which include/,elements 92 and 96.

brushes, one of which is normally in raised j position; a reduction gearing interposed between the dynamo-electric-machine and the engine; and electro-magnetic means under control of the operator for initially connecting up the reduction gearing, so that the electric machine operating as a motor will drive the engine at a reduced speed, and for actuating said normally raised commutator brush to close the cireuitfconnection, whereby the electric machine will loperate as a motor for starting purposes.

2. In an engine startingl device, the combination withnan engine, of a starting device therefor including a dynamo-electricmachine, operable as a motor for starting purposes, and having a pair of commutator brushes, one of which is raised to normally break the motor circuit; a reduction gearing interposed 'between the dynamo-electric-machine and the engine, including a roller clutch,A normally inoperative; and electro-magnetic means under control of the operator for initially operating said roller clutch, to connect the reduction gearing so that the electric machine operating as a motor will drive the engine at reduced speed. and for actuating 'the raised commutator brush' to close the motor circuit for starting purposes.

3. In an engine starting device, the combination with an engine, of a starting device therefor including a dynamo-electricmachine,'operable as a motorv for starting purposes, and having a pair of commutator brushes, one of which is raised to normally break the motor circuit; reduction gearing interposed between said machine and engine including a roller clutch, having its rollers `with an internal roller clutch element; a

wobble gear mounted on said eccentric;

rollers supported by said wobble gear; a

member journelled on said shaftand having holes into which said rollers extend for permitting wobbling movement of said 'web' ble gear, said member providing an external v roller clutch member; an internal roller clutch member supported by said machine;

normally inoperatixf'e clutch rollers; manually controlled means for moving said rollers into Wedging action betweensaid clutchA members; and v an internal gear elementimountedon said Shaft, adapted to be driven 4 WILLIAM A. CHRYST.

Witnesses; i

J. WV. MCDONALD,

WAUrER W. RIEDEL, 

